GEMINI - Demonstration to Transformation
15 

Project Partners

  8

 Associated Partners

 4 

Pilot demonstration sites

 €20m/£17m

Investment

GEMINI

Geothermal energy momentum on the island of Ireland

Demonstration to Transformation

Over the next four years the GEMINI project will help reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions associated with heat production, a goal central to EU, UK and Irish strategies to meet 2050 emissions targets. The project is led by Codema, Dublin’s Energy Agency, and is supported by the PEACEPLUS programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) and endorsed by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, Ireland and the Department for the Economy, Northern Ireland.

Geothermal energy is a secure, local, near-zero emissions energy source which is suited to both urban and rural areas, including individual users or networks with large heat demands. The geothermal technologies deployed in this project will use heat energy from the Earth to power large-scale heating and cooling systems in public sector buildings such as swimming pools, housing projects, utilities offices and a university campus.


'Shallow' Geothermal Energy

The GEMINI project will install three shallow (<500m deep) geothermal energy systems in Sligo Regional Sports Centre and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive Centre of Excellence, Belfast and Northern Ireland Water, Belfast. These will provide near-zero emissions heat to public buildings and help to address fuel poverty.

The range of different users will demonstrate the types of facilities that can employ geothermal energy systems.


'Deep' Geothermal Energy

A deep (>500m depth) geothermal system will be developed at the TUDublin campus at Grangegorman, Dublin with additional investigations for geothermal resources in the Antrim area.

The Grangegorman pilot will invest in a 2km deep borehole to demonstrate feasibility in Ireland for a larger scale heat network. The Antrim area will include data collection and analysis for identifying future geothermal energy opportunities.


Inclusion & Prosperity

Critically, the GEMINI project will include a series of activities aimed at the longer term sustainability and development of the geothermal energy sector on our island. This will include education, skills and training programmes, research (social science and science and technology), data and toolkits for planners, public engagement programmes, design of business models, and information to support policy across the whole island of Ireland.


This project is supported by the PEACEPLUS Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) and endorsed by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (Ireland) and Department for the Economy (Northern Ireland).